On a Night Like This
by ILikeShorts
Summary: HG/SS - Friends turned lovers. Awkward moments. Meddling psychics. Fashion disasters. Chance encounters. Angry ninjas. Too much champagne. All this and more at the party of the year! Falkner x Janine, Jasmine x Steven, Morty x Whitney.
1. Falkner

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**Falkner**

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><p>The invitation had said eight, so Falkner had come at eight. He was already starting to wish he hadn't. There were only a handful of people at the party, and he didn't recognize any of them. This was definitely one of those things where nobody was actually supposed to show up on time. He should have realized. Or asked his dad. Or something.<p>

He didn't usually go to stuff like this. Well, honestly, he _never_ went to stuff like this. But this was one of the perks of being a Gym Leader, he figured. A year ago, he'd been a nobody, and now, having taken over the Violet City Gym, he was a VIP at the biggest Pokémon event of the year. Maybe even the decade.

After years of keeping the Master Ball under wraps and refusing to let anyone who wasn't a top Pokémon researcher try it out, Silph Co. was finally going public with it. It was going on sale the next day. Anyone would be able to buy a Master Ball… if they could afford it, that was. Everybody was talking about the implications this had for the Pokémon world. And Silph Co. wouldn't be the hugely successful company it was if it didn't make the most of this kind of excitement, so they were throwing a massive launch party. Anyone who was anyone had been invited, including all of the Gym Leaders. He didn't see any of them now, though. He looked around uncomfortably. He sure didn't feel like much of a VIP, standing there by himself.

He glanced at the entrance for something like the tenth time, and a security guard gave him the once-over. The security at this party was ridiculous, probably because of that rumor going around that Giovanni was planning on making an appearance. It was never going to happen, if you asked him, but he guessed after what had gone down in Goldenrod with Team Rocket not too long ago, they weren't going to take any chances.

He checked the time on his Pokégear and frowned. Still only eight-fifteen. He put it back in his pocket and reminded himself exactly why he was there. He'd come for three reasons. First, because he'd have to be crazy to miss out on a party like this. Silph Co. had really gone all out. He couldn't walk ten feet without being offered an hors d'oeuvre or a glass of champagne, and the lobby had been completely transformed. An office building had sounded like a pretty weird place to throw a party at first, but if he hadn't known any better, he'd have sworn he wasn't even _at_ Silph Co.

Second, for the free Master Ball. They were giving them away in the gift bags on the way out. From what he'd heard, most of the other leaders were more excited about this than the actual party. Even though Master Balls were going on sale soon, they were still incredibly expensive, and Silph Co. wasn't planning on making too many of them—he'd read that there was already a mile-long waitlist. So this party was pretty much the only way anyone was going to get their hands on a Master Ball for a while.

And the third, most important reason—well, she wasn't there yet. Which was why he couldn't stop looking at the door.

He'd promised himself that tonight was the night he'd finally man up and ask Janine out. He'd been meaning to do it for ages. He'd had a couple of chances already. But it wasn't that simple. What if he ruined everything? He didn't want to screw things up. She was practically his best friend.

He and Janine were so much alike that he'd ended up hanging out with her more than any of the other Gym Leaders, even though she lived all the way over in Kanto. She was nothing like the Johto girls, which (no offense to them) was kind of a good thing. Whitney liked to talk his ear off and Jasmine hardly talked at all, and Clair—well, he was kind of scared to talk to Clair. But he and Janine could just, well, talk. Being new to the whole gym thing could get pretty tough sometimes, and he was glad to have a friend in the same situation.

Only, the more he got to know her, the more he realized he wanted to be more than just friends. He just wasn't sure if she wanted the same thing.

* * *

><p>"This is nothing compared to the Ultra Ball launch," Blaine complained. "Now<em> that <em>was a party."

Falkner looked on incredulously. Ultra Balls had been around since before he was born. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten himself into this conversation, but he couldn't wait to get out. He'd only meant to say a quick hi to Pryce, one of the few party guests he actually recognized, but as more people had arrived and come over to chat, he'd somehow found himself stuck in the middle of a gathering of the Pokémon League's oldest, talking about stuff that had happened decades ago.

Pryce just laughed. "Ultra Ball launch? I remember back when we didn't even have Great Balls. And if you couldn't catch your Pokémon with a good old Poké Ball, that was just too bad for you."

"And there was none of that newfangled PC business," Agatha added. "As many Pokémon as you could carry, that was all you got. Trainers these days are soft."

They all turned to look at Falkner. He suddenly felt very young and very, very uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat," he mumbled. He walked away and didn't look back. Then he saw that Janine had come in, and he immediately forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

She was with her dad. Well, of course she was. There was no way he wasn't going to come tonight with a free Master Ball at stake. Falkner couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. How had he managed to overlook that? With Koga there, getting a date was out of the question. He'd be lucky if he even got to _talk_ to her.

Janine's dad, Koga, was a member of the Elite Four. He was tough, threatening, and always getting in Falkner's way. He didn't know why—he'd never done anything to upset the guy, as far as he could tell—but Koga had never seemed to like him all that much. Falkner figured he was just really, really protective.

Koga also happened to be a ninja. Falkner wasn't too sure exactly what that entailed, but he'd learned enough from Janine to know it was definitely something to be worried about. So he tried to keep his distance when Koga was around. Big time.

Tonight, he didn't think he'd have much of a choice. Janine had left her dad, and she was heading his way. As she approached him, he couldn't help but gape at her. She normally looked pretty good, but tonight was something else.

"Wow," he said. "You look…"

She looked amazing. Unbelievable. Just… wow.

Janine stared at him expectantly.

"Good," he finished lamely. He didn't have the nerve to say much more than that.

"Thanks."

He smiled at her, but inside, he was kicking himself. Was he that much of a loser that all he could say was _good_? "I mean… really good."

Right. Because that was so much better.

"Um, thanks. You look pretty good yourself." She was blushing a little, he noticed. That had to be a good sign, didn't it?

"Thanks." Falkner looked down self-consciously. He never wore this kind of stuff. He was only half sure that his tie matched his suit, and he was even less sure that it was tied right.

He didn't know why he felt so awkward all of a sudden. It wasn't usually like this with Janine. He'd always felt like he could just be himself around her. He never really had to think about it. But something had changed. Maybe it was the party. Maybe he was just putting way too much pressure on himself. Or maybe it was the way Koga kept looking at him like he was about to kill him.

"So… how's your dad?" he asked. It was pretty much the only thing he could think of with Koga staring at him like that.

"Good. He's over there." Janine pointed at Koga, as if he could've somehow not noticed. "Is your dad here, too?"

"Nah. Still traveling. You know how it is." Falkner hadn't seen him in ages. His dad had taken off to travel the world the moment he'd given up control of the gym. He wasn't even entirely sure where his dad was anymore. Janine was pretty lucky to have her dad around, he thought, ignoring the selfish little voice in his head telling him that things would be a heck of a lot easier for him if her dad would disappear to some random corner of the world, too.

"When's he coming back?"

"Don't know." He shrugged.

Suddenly, the room got quieter, and it seemed like everyone was looking at the door. They turned to see what all the fuss was about. The Hoenn Champion had just walked in. Or former Champion, maybe. He wasn't too sure. It was some guy named Steven, anyway. From what Falkner understood, he was pretty famous. Not that it mattered to him much.

In the commotion, he flagged down a passing waiter with a tray of champagne. He took two glasses and handed one to Janine. It was the sort of thing a gentleman would do. Finally, he felt like he'd gotten something right.

"I can't," Janine whispered. "My dad's watching." She apologized and gave him back the glass. Falkner winced as Koga shot him a venomous glare.

Great. Now what was he supposed to do? He couldn't just stand there double fisting champagne while he talked to her. So he went up to the first two people he saw. Lance and Clair, unfortunately. Not exactly the most approachable people ever. Well, Lance was nice, but he was the freaking Pokémon League Champion. That automatically made him a bit intimidating.

"Here." Falkner thrust the glasses at them. "I thought you guys might like some champagne."

The two cousins looked confused, but they took the drinks and thanked him.

"Uh… no problem." He walked away, completely mortified, and went back to Janine. She was laughing at him.

He was really, totally blowing this.

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><p><em>Up next: A mysterious stranger saves Jasmine from the most uncomfortable moment of her life.<em>


	2. Jasmine

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**Jasmine**

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><p>As Jasmine had arrived, she'd seen Sabrina walk in, dressed like she'd come straight from her gym around the corner. Then, she'd left with her Master Ball a mere two minutes later. Jasmine wondered if maybe she would've been better off doing the same thing. Not that she'd ever be bold enough to try it.<p>

She didn't like parties at all, if she was being honest. Something about them made her feel so out of place. It didn't help that she wasn't particularly close with many of the other Gym Leaders. She'd tried talking with Falkner and Janine for a while, but those two were such good friends (or maybe even more than friends, she'd thought, but it wasn't her place to ask) that she'd felt like she was somehow intruding.

Her closest friend, Erika, had fallen asleep in a chair shortly after she'd arrived. And she knew how hard it could be to wake Erika up, so she'd decided to let her sleep. Which had left her as she was now, standing around uncomfortably, wondering how in the world she was going to get through the next couple of hours. She'd been thinking about going to Sinnoh to compete in Super Contests, but now she was beginning to reconsider. Did she truly believe she was brave enough to travel to another region all by herself when she could barely even handle a party?

Seeing all the media around only made things worse. DJ Mary from Pokémon Talk was doing interviews, something she definitely didn't want to take part in if she could help it. A photographer, who she remembered as Cameron, was taking pictures of people when he thought they weren't expecting it. If he got one more shot of her looking self-conscious and alone, she was going to… well, she probably wasn't going to do anything, but she wouldn't be happy about it, anyway. Fortunately, his camera was now pointed in the direction of the door, and she turned to see who his latest subject was. Whitney was making a dramatic entrance in a blindingly pink dress.

Jasmine glanced around the room, wondering what the rest of the Johto leaders were up to. Morty was alone, too. She waved at him, but he seemed to stare right past her. She couldn't fault him for it, though—he wasn't ignoring her on purpose. It was obvious from the look on his face that his attention was somewhere else.

Then she noticed Bugsy. As she caught his eye, he came over to say hello. "Hi, Bugsy," she greeted him. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yeah. It's cool. And I can't wait to have my own Master Ball!"

Jasmine liked Bugsy. He was a nice kid, and he wasn't at all hard to talk to, especially if you talked about his favorite subject—bugs. "What will you use it for? To catch a new bug Pokémon?"

"Nah." He grinned. "I don't need a Master Ball to catch bugs."

Bugs didn't interest her in the least, but she was grateful to be having an easy conversation with someone. "I wasn't suggesting you did."

"That's okay. How about you?"

She thought for a moment. "I haven't decided."

Suddenly, Bugsy's eyes darted across the room. "Hey, Professor Oak's here! Sorry, Jasmine, I gotta go. There's this new bug Pokémon research I've been wanting to ask him about. See you later, 'kay?"

"See you."

She watched as Bugsy approached the professor with ease. He was rather confident for his age, and he seemed happy to be there. How was it that someone so young could be more comfortable at this party than she was?

"Jasmine!" Whitney ran up to her, startling her from her thoughts. "You're wearing _that_?"

She looked down at herself. She'd chosen to wear a plain white dress tonight. As far as she could tell, it was appropriate enough. "Is something wrong with it?"

"You always wear stuff like that! It's no fun!" Whitney giggled and took a sip of her champagne. "Oh, yeah. How are you, by the way?"

"I'm all right. How are you?"

"Amazing! Isn't this party the coolest?"

"It's nice. But I think it's a bit much." In truth, she didn't really like it at all.

"Are you crazy? It's the best party ever! They have champagne and everything, and there's famous people everywhere!" She gestured around the room. "Look, there's DJ Mary! Come on! We can be on the radio!"

"I don't think…" she began to protest, but Whitney had already begun to drag her over to the DJ, who was busy interviewing a man in a suit—someone who worked for Silph Co., most likely.

"Mary! Hi!" Whitney interrupted.

Jasmine watched as Whitney inserted herself into the interview, until the Silph Co. employee (who was really just trying to promote his research, the poor man) got frustrated and left. It didn't seem to faze Whitney much. She just kept talking to Mary as though nothing had happened. And she certainly had a lot to talk about, which Jasmine didn't mind at all. Maybe she could just quietly slip away before anyone noticed.

"So that was our interview with Whitney, the Gym Leader from—"

Or maybe not. It sounded like Whitney's interview was coming to an end.

Whitney made a face. "That's it?"

"—Goldenrod City. Next, we'll be talking to—"

"But you hardly even asked me anything!"

"Look, Whitney, you've been on my show more times than all the other Gym Leaders put together," Mary explained patiently. "We've covered everything from your top ten favorite Pokémon to your opinion of Ethan's new hat. Besides, you live in Goldenrod. I can interview you any day of the week. Let me talk to some of the other leaders for a change. Like your friend here. I don't think we've ever had the chance to interview her before…"

Jasmine started to panic. She'd never done an interview in her life. It wasn't that she hadn't been asked to. She'd just never been able to bring herself to say yes. She couldn't be on the radio. What if her shyness got the best of her? As much as she hated to admit it, it almost always did. When she got nervous, she was lucky if she could speak in complete sentences.

Mary turned to her. "Jasmine, right?"

Terrified, she nodded. "Yes, but I'd rather not—"

Mary cut her off. "We're here at the Master Ball launch with Jasmine, Olivine's Gym Leader."

"I-Is this live?" Jasmine froze.

"Yes. So, Jasmine, what do you think about Silph Co.'s decision to take the Master Ball public?"

"Um… I…" She stared at the microphone in front of her. All of a sudden, she was finding it hard to breathe, let alone come up with an answer. She looked helplessly at Whitney, but Whitney had apparently lost interest in the interview now that Mary wasn't interviewing her, and was now talking enthusiastically to a rather harassed-looking Bruno.

As she scanned the room, she got the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. It was a man, one she didn't even know. Well, she could hardly blame him. She probably looked like she was about to faint.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Mary prompted her.

"I-I don't know," she choked out.

"And what makes you so unsure?"

She couldn't think. All she could think about was the fact that thousands of people—tens of thousands, even—were listening. Seconds felt like hours as she struggled to come up with something… _anything_.

"DJ Mary?" someone spoke up. It was that man again. Whoever he was, she was eternally grateful to him. "I'm very sorry to interrupt, but this may be the only time I'm available all night, if you'd like to do my interview now."

"Oh! Steven! Of course!"

Just like that, Mary had forgotten all about her. He was obviously someone very important. And now that she'd managed to get a good look at him, she could see that he was quite handsome as well.

The man—Steven—turned to her. "You don't mind, do you?"

"N-no. Go ahead."

"I didn't think you would." He gave her an understanding smile, and she realized—he was doing this on purpose, wasn't he?

Finally, Mary took the microphone away. "Sorry, Jasmine. I'm going to have to continue our interview later. I hope that's okay?"

"Of course." Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. "We don't have to continue it at all."

She walked away hoping to get as far as possible from anyone else who might have a microphone or a camera, but Whitney ambushed her before she'd made it more than a few steps. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

"Um, I think his name was Steven."

"That's Steven _Stone_!"

"Oh, do you know him?"

Whitney looked at her like she'd just claimed never to have heard of Pokémon before. "Everyone does! He's, like, the Lance of Hoenn. Only he's super rich, too. And he doesn't wear a stupid cape everywhere he goes." She pointed at Lance, who was, in fact, wearing his signature cape over his suit. It looked a bit strange, Jasmine had to admit.

"Oh." That explained why Mary had been so eager to interview him. He was a Champion. And apparently something of a celebrity, at that.

"I can't believe you got to talk to him! What'd you say?" she demanded.

"Um… nothing."

"Figures."

She should have at least thanked him, she realized. But it would be too embarrassing now. Interviews probably came naturally to someone like Steven Stone. He probably thought she was pathetic.

Whitney finished off her drink. "I'm gonna get some more champagne. You want some?"

"No, thank you."

All Jasmine wanted was to get out of there. She'd had enough of crowds, interviews, and overly talkative Gym Leaders for one night. So she left the building and retreated to a quiet spot just outside the entrance, where she could finally feel at ease. And that was where she remained, staring off into the distance, captivated by thoughts of the man who'd come to her rescue…

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><p><em>Up next: Morty has two things on his mind. One of them, not surprisingly, is Ho-Oh. The other one is a girl.<em>


	3. Morty

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**Morty**

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><p>Morty watched as Ethan walked up to a podium at the front of the room. He was so young that a Silph Co. assistant had to lower the microphone before he could reach it.<p>

"Hi, everybody!" Ethan addressed the crowd. He didn't appear to be the slightest bit intimidated by the prospect of speaking to a roomful of the most influential people in Kanto and Johto.

For someone his age, that was impressive. But considering it was Ethan, Morty wasn't surprised.

"The president of Silph Co. asked me to talk about the Master Ball, so here goes. I'm lucky enough to have one already, thanks to Professor Elm." Ethan waved at one of the Pokémon professors, who glowed with pride. "The Master Ball is going to change the world. All you have to do is throw it, and the Pokémon you're after is yours. I used mine to catch the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh!"

At this, everyone began to clap. Morty politely followed suit, but groaned inwardly.

"It's a great Poké Ball," Ethan continued, "and I know lots of people worked really hard to make it, so let's all clap for Silph Co. too, okay?" The room erupted into applause. "And I guess that's all I have to say tonight. Thanks, everyone!"

Morty couldn't believe it. Ethan had caught Ho-Oh with a Master Ball. Anyone could have done that. _He_ could've done that.

But, no, that wasn't true. After all, it wasn't as though he'd ever encountered Ho-Oh in the first place. He wasn't worthy of Ho-Oh's presence, it seemed. He'd never been strong enough, could never train hard enough. And even after its capture, he'd persisted, training harder still, though he wasn't entirely sure what the point was anymore. It was just what he'd always done. Before Ethan had come along, he'd trained with the goal of summoning Ho-Oh, and now he was just training. For nothing.

It was unbelievable. Ethan was just a kid. Just a kid, and he'd already accomplished what Morty had been working toward his whole life. But Morty couldn't hold it against him. Ethan was truly in a league of his own.

"Morty! There you are!" A familiar voice roused him from his thoughts, and the color pink flashed before his eyes. Whitney. Of course. The Goldenrod Gym Leader threw her arms around him in greeting, nearly spilling her champagne on him in the process.

"Hey, Whitney." He returned the gesture with his left hand, tightly gripping his own glass in his right. She'd caught him a bit off guard. Whitney didn't hug him. Not before tonight, anyway. He didn't particularly mind it, but he wondered if maybe she was enjoying the free champagne just a little too much.

She finally let go, but still stood closer than he was used to. "So what's it like, actually stepping out of your dark, depressing gym?"

"I'm not _always _at my gym," he insisted. But it was true that he'd been spending more and more time there lately. It wasn't that he'd intended to. He just didn't know what to do with himself anymore.

"Training in that creepy tower down the road doesn't count." She giggled. "Seriously, Morty, you need to have more fun. You should come back to Goldenrod sometime! Then you'll have fun. I'll make sure!"

He allowed himself a small smile. "Maybe."

Not too long ago, he'd run into Whitney while he was looking for a few TMs at the Goldenrod Department Store. After some initial resistance on his part, he'd found himself agreeing to a whirlwind tour of the city in which she'd managed to get them lost in the underground several times despite having lived there for years. And just when he'd thought she was done with him, she'd convinced him to go with her to try out the newly opened Johto Battle Frontier. It had taken up an entire day that he'd planned to spend training. It was also, when he thought about it, the best time he'd had in a while.

"Well, at least you're here. I thought maybe you'd blow off the party to go train or something."

She'd been thinking about _him_, he realized. And then he dismissed the thought, asking himself why that even mattered.

"I wouldn't miss the chance to get a Master Ball." He ignored the implication that he did little else but train these days. It was more accurate than he cared to admit.

"So what are you gonna do with it? Catch some kind of legendary Pokémon? You like those, don't you?"

"I do." He just didn't know of any legendary Pokémon that Ethan hadn't already caught. At least, not in Johto. And judging by the way things were going, he was willing to bet that even the Kanto legendaries were confined to one of the young Champion's PC boxes by now.

"How come you're not excited? Aren't you, like, obsessed with one of them? The rainbow one, right?"

He winced at her tactless choice of words. But perhaps Whitney was right. His goal had become something of an obsession, and now that it had been achieved—and not by him—what else did he have? He needed something else. He just didn't know _what_.

"You could say I was," he said, after a long silence.

"Was?"

"Ho-Oh was captured. By Ethan. Weren't you listening?"

"Sort of." She shrugged. "Why don't you go talk to him? I bet he'd let you see it. Maybe even take it for a ride, if you're lucky."

"I might," he lied. "So, how've you been?" he changed the subject, before Whitney could ask him anything else about Ho-Oh. It was a topic of conversation he very much preferred to avoid.

"Amazing, you? It's been way too long," she said, even though he'd just seen her a couple of weeks ago. "Hey, where's your scarf?"

That was the fourth time someone had mentioned that he wasn't wearing his scarf tonight. What was it about that scarf that got so much attention, anyway?

The president of Silph Co. now occupied the podium, and Morty respectfully turned to face him as he began to deliver a speech.

"I thought you always wore that scarf," Whitney went on, not noticing that the noise level in the room had dropped considerably. "It's like, your thing."

"Whitney," he interrupted, "the president's speaking."

"You look awesome, though. I like your suit. Very—"

"_Quiet_," Morty mouthed, motioning toward the podium.

"Fine. Never mind." And with a look of indignation—or was it hurt?—Whitney turned and walked away.

Somewhere in the crowd, he overheard her telling a Kanto leader—Misty, he thought her name was—that she liked her dress. Whitney was talking to everybody, he'd noticed. But now was definitely not the time to be talking. Couldn't she wait until the speech was over to compliment other leaders on their dresses? People were beginning to stare.

And speaking of dresses, he couldn't imagine what she'd been thinking when she decided on hers. Not that she didn't look good in it. She looked good, Morty had to admit. Incredible, actually. But that was beside the point. Most of the guests at the party were wearing business suits and evening gowns, and Whitney was wearing _that_.

Morty generally didn't care what people wore. Most of the time, he didn't even notice. But even he knew that pink sequins had no place at Silph Co.

Maybe she just liked the attention. She certainly was getting a lot of it. Something about Whitney made her impossible to ignore. She was too loud and too pink and too _everywhere_ and he'd hardly looked away all night.

Finally, the speech came to an end, and he watched with some annoyance as she abandoned her conversation with Bill to get yet another glass of champagne. He thought about following her, but decided against it. Whitney wasn't his responsibility, after all. But she was going to make a spectacle of herself at this rate. He shook his head. He didn't know why it bothered him so much. He didn't even know why he cared.

"Oh, I think you know."

Startled, Morty turned to see the psychic trainer Will sitting nearby. His expression was unreadable, thanks to the mask he always wore—even to black tie events, apparently.

He stepped back in alarm. He hadn't said anything out loud, not since his conversation with Whitney some time ago. Then had Will just read his mind?

"Now you get it." The condescension in Will's voice was infuriating. "And you've been thinking about her for quite a while now. Shouldn't that tell you something?"

"Enough." He glared at Will, though he spoke calmly. "You have no business intruding on my thoughts."

He had a pretty good idea of what Will was getting at. But it wasn't like that. Whitney was just another Gym Leader to him.

…Wasn't she?

"Think about it. Really think about it. Forget about that ridiculous rainbow bird for once, and you might actually figure out a few things."

Morty drained his glass of champagne, feeling a million different kinds of violated, and made a mental note to himself. He was never going to think _anything_ around Will ever again.

Will laughed. "Good luck with that."

* * *

><p><em>Up next: Janine doesn't understand why Falkner's acting so weird. She could've sworn he liked her…<em>


	4. Janine

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**********Janine**********

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><p>What was Falkner's problem, anyway? All night, he'd been acting weird. Distracted weird. Glancing across the room every two seconds weird. And it wasn't like him at all. The Falkner she knew listened to her. He looked at her like there was no one else around. And he made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, he thought of her as something more than a friend.<p>

Tonight, the Falkner she knew was nowhere to be found. When she got close to him, he backed away. When she smiled at him, he barely smiled back. And she didn't know what he kept looking at, but it was seriously starting to get on her nerves. All she knew was that they really needed to sort this out, and it looked like she would have to be the one to do it.

Janine gathered up all the courage she had. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Falkner shrugged, but it didn't do much to hide how tense he was.

Then, in what had to be the worst timing in the history of the world, DJ Mary came out of nowhere and asked them if they'd mind doing an interview. Falkner, looking downright relieved, was quick to agree.

And so Mary got down to business, failing to notice the look of utter frustration on Janine's face. "We're here with Falkner and Janine, two of the Pokémon League's newest stars. How's the life of a Gym Leader these days?"

"Pretty good," said Falkner. "Especially when you get to go to stuff like this."

Janine resigned herself to the fact that this interview was happening whether she liked it or not, and decided to just get it over with. "Yeah. I mean, being in charge of a gym isn't easy. But if training Pokémon's what you want to do, it's the best experience you can get."

"Some might say the two of you have it harder than most. Do you feel a lot of pressure to measure up to your famous fathers?"

She didn't have to think twice about that one. It was something she and Falkner got asked all the time. "I don't know if pressure's the right word for it. But I've looked up to my dad my whole life, and it makes me want to work hard so I can be as good as him one day. Maybe even better."

Falkner smiled at her. "That's exactly how I feel."

"I'm sure we can expect great things from both of you, with attitudes like that. All right, I have to ask. If your fathers faced each other in a Pokémon battle, who would win?"

"Mine," they both answered immediately.

"You don't want to bring that up." Janine laughed. "We'll be at it for days."

Falkner was laughing right along with her. "We've been at it since the day we met."

"You two are too cute for words." Mary beamed at them. "And you've hardly been apart all night. Everyone's dying to know—any chance of a romance in the near future?"

Janine was at a loss. How could she answer that? She didn't even know what the answer _was_. She searched Falkner's face for some kind of hint as to how he felt, but all she saw was a hundred different shades of awkward.

His answer wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for. "No comment."

"Uh, yeah," she echoed. "No comment."

"Well, then, it looks like their lips are sealed. Janine and Falkner, everybody."

Janine let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, thankful that the interview hadn't gone any further. No one had warned her that the life of a Gym Leader would involve having to discuss her not-quite-relationships on live radio.

_No comment_. What did that mean? Well, obviously, it meant the question was a total invasion of their privacy and Falkner wasn't having it. But if the answer was no, that they were nothing more than friends, that he didn't have a clue what DJ Mary was talking about, then wouldn't he have just said so?

She had to find out. "So," she began. "That was interesting."

But Falkner wasn't listening. He wasn't even looking at her.

She craned her neck in the direction he'd been facing. Her father was talking to Karen. Karen was wearing a ridiculously short dress. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. "Guys. You're all the same."

That was enough to get Falkner's attention. "Huh?"

"You're staring at her." She pointed at Karen. "You can't be serious. She's way too old for you."

"Who, Karen? I didn't even see her."

"Sure you didn't."

"I didn't. What are you so upset about, anyway?"

She decided to come right out and say it.

"You." She lowered her gaze, not nearly brave enough to face him as she continued. "I thought you liked me. I wanted you to. But tonight, it's like you'll barely even look at me. So was it just me, or…"

She didn't know what else to say. Whatever happened, she just hoped he wouldn't think it'd be too weird for them to stay friends after this.

Falkner reached out a hand and gently tilted her chin upward until her eyes met his. "It wasn't just you."

And the instant she saw his face, open and honest and just a little bit scared, but unmistakably happy, she knew she wouldn't regret her words.

"It's funny, you know," he confessed. "I was going to ask you out tonight. Or, that was the plan. But then, well—"

"Then what?" she couldn't help but ask. "You saw something more important on the other side of the room?"

He shook his head. "I saw your dad and I just couldn't do it."

"My dad?"

"Look at him. It's like he wants to sic his Toxicroak on me."

Her first thought was that her dad would never do that. But then she caught sight of his expression. He only ever gave her that look when she was in a _lot _of trouble. "Is he always like this?"

"All the time."

"Come on. Let's go talk to him."

"But—"

"Come _on_." She took him by the hand. She wasn't going to give him a choice.

Truth be told, she had no idea what she was going to say or how her dad was going to react, but the feeling of Falkner's hand in hers was reassuring. It was a bit sweaty—he had to be nervous, for obvious reasons—but she didn't think she cared much.

She let go, though she wished she didn't have to, and tapped Karen on the shoulder. "Is it okay if I talk to my dad for a second?"

"Fine with me." Karen left with a surprisingly warm smile, and she felt sort of guilty for calling her old.

"Dad, you know my friend Falkner, right?" Janine's voice came out a lot shakier than she'd expected.

"Indeed." He turned to Falkner with a disapproving glance. "You seem awfully fond of my daughter."

Falkner let out a nervous laugh. "Well… we're friends. Good friends."

"I see." Her father paused thoughtfully. "Tell me, young man, what are your plans for the future?"

"I… I guess I haven't thought about it too much. I'm just… you know, trying to do my best with the gym for now."

"You don't aspire to be an Elite? Running a gym's enough for you, is it?"

Falkner looked hopelessly at her, tugging at the neck of his tie like he thought he was going to suffocate. "Well, that'd be a long way off. I mean—"

"Such lack of ambition. Why Janine speaks so highly of you, I don't understand."

She knew she had to say something. "He's an amazing Gym Leader, Dad. The other day, he took out someone's entire team with just a Pidgey!"

"He is a Gym Leader, and yet, he battles with a Pidgey."

She'd had more than enough. "Falkner, excuse us."

Falkner was gone before she could blink. She really couldn't blame him.

"Dad!" she yelled, causing quite a few people to stare in their direction. "What was_ that_? Can't you see I like him? You're ruining everything!" And before he could say anything in reply, she stormed off.

It was so stupid, she thought, slumping onto a couch. Her dad was way out of line. Sure, he'd always been protective of her, but that didn't give him the right to insult Falkner. And what would Falkner think? She couldn't expect him to put up with that. And what if he didn't? What if he decided she wasn't worth the trouble?

As she got used to her surroundings, she noticed Morty giving her a curious glance from the next couch over. She glared back at him. "What are _you_ staring at?"

Her remark didn't seem to faze him. "Are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

She was surprised he'd even bother. She didn't know Morty, not really. They'd met once or twice—he was a friend of Falkner's, too—but that was about it. So it was pretty nice of him to even pretend to care.

"Sorry," she said, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at how rude she'd been. "You startled me. What are you doing back here, anyway?"

"I have a lot on my mind." He didn't say any more. She figured he didn't want to talk about it.

"So do I. It's my dad. And Falkner." Just thinking about their conversation made her mad. "The things my dad was saying to him! And for no reason!"

"That's rough."

"Yeah. It was bad. Falkner's not going to want anything to do with me after that." She wasn't even sure if she was joking.

"He will. You're important to him."

"He said that?"

"I've probably said more than I should already. But I don't think you have much to worry about." Morty pointed across the room. "It seems like they're getting along fine."

Falkner and her dad were talking again. That couldn't be good. But somehow, they actually looked like they could stand each other's company. What was going on?

"Well, that's… new."

Just then, Falkner caught her eye and motioned for her to come over.

She got up from her seat. "I'm going to go talk to them."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Morty. You too. With whatever it is."

Walking away, she could've sworn she heard him mutter the word _whoever_, but it really wasn't any of her business.

Her dad turned to leave as she approached, giving Falkner a pat on the shoulder that was almost fatherly. "I will let you and Falkner talk. He has something he wishes to ask you."

Janine gaped at Falkner, shocked by her father's sudden change of heart. "What did you _do_?"

A grin spread across his face. "Just got your dad's permission to go out with you. No big deal."

"How?"

"I don't know what came over me. He made me feel like I wasn't good enough for you, and I couldn't stand it. So I went right up to him and told him not to talk to me that way. He just stared at me for the longest time, and for a second I honestly thought he was going to kill me. And then—it was the weirdest thing. He told me my father would be proud."

That sounded like something her dad would say, all right. "You stood up to him. He'd respect that."

"So then I asked him," he continued. "And he was fine with it. But I have to keep my hands to myself and bring you home by nine, and if anything happens to you, there's a whole clan of ninjas out there who'll know where to find me."

"Of course." She sighed. She'd known there would be a catch. "Think you can deal with that?"

"I'll have to," he said earnestly. "Being with you means a lot."

Hearing those words, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and never let go. So she did… sort of. They'd have to let go eventually or they'd be getting some strange looks from the other partygoers pretty soon. "I'd love to go out with you."

"Well, yeah." Falkner laughed, holding her tightly. "I sure hope so, after I went through all that."

As they drew back from each other, they paused, their faces just inches apart, and all she could think about was how it would be so easy to kiss him. And when his eyes came to rest on her lips, she knew he had to be thinking the same thing.

Then reality set in, and she remembered that they were at a party with cameras everywhere and she wasn't even sure if she knew how to kiss and this probably wasn't the best place to learn with so many people around. But all of those things were no problem compared to her father's watchful gaze.

They'd just have to wait.

"Let's not push it," she whispered. "Not unless you want a shuriken in the head."

Falkner stepped back from her so quickly that he almost fell over. "You're kidding, right? With all this security?"

"You don't know a thing about ninjas, do you?"

* * *

><p><em>Up next: Steven doesn't even like parties. But he's not the only one who feels this way…<em>


	5. Steven

****- 5 -********  
><strong>**********

**Steven**

* * *

><p>Steven couldn't wait to get out of there. He'd never been fond of events like this, and the ones in faraway regions were the worst of all. In Hoenn, at least, he had friends. Here in Kanto, he had nothing of the sort. Almost everyone at the party knew his name, but no one knew <em>him. <em>Although they certainly did seem eager to meet him.

Or rather, they wanted to meet the heir to the Devon Corporation, the former Champion of Hoenn. No one wanted to meet Steven.

If it had been up to him, he wouldn't have come in the first place. He'd be off exploring a mountain, or perhaps a cave, searching for precious stones along the way. But his father had persuaded him to attend Silph Co.'s Master Ball launch as a representative of Devon, and here he was. He'd done more interviews than he could remember, posed for countless pictures with the Kanto-Johto Elite Four, and been introduced to the entire Silph Co. board of directors. His work here was done.

But he couldn't go, not yet. He'd be one of the first, and that wouldn't look good. Still, there was no reason why he couldn't take a moment to himself. Maybe he could find a quiet place to sit down.

"Steven? Hi! I'm Whitney!"

Or maybe he could have, if he hadn't just been accosted by a girl who sounded like she didn't know the meaning of the word quiet. She was carrying an almost-spilling glass of champagne—definitely not her first, by the look of things—and dressed as though she was attending her own sweet sixteen.

"It's nice to meet you," he greeted her politely, but his patience was wearing thin, and it was becoming more and more difficult to hide the weary indifference in his voice.

"I'm a Gym Leader, from Johto," she continued. If she noticed his disinterest, she was choosing to ignore it. "I kept meaning to come say hi, but you always looked so busy. But you're not busy now. So how cool is this party? Or do you just get to go to awesome stuff like this all the time?"

"Yes," he answered simply. He wasn't going to admit that it was almost never of his own accord, and that _awesome_ was very far removed from the sort of word he would choose to describe parties like this. To him, they were more of a chore than anything.

"So what's it like, being a Champion? And being like, crazy rich?" she asked, undeterred, when he didn't elaborate.

Steven was annoyed, but not at all surprised. "I'm not a Champion." The other, less appropriate question was best left ignored.

"Yeah, but you _were_ Champion. So why'd you quit, anyway? Did you just get bored, or—"

"You'll have to excuse me," he interrupted as courteously as he could manage. Cracks were beginning to show in his calm façade, and it wouldn't be long before this girl's relentless questioning shattered it altogether. He rarely said much about his decision to leave the Pokémon League, and he certainly wasn't going to have this conversation with some Gym Leader he didn't even know. "It's been a pleasure," he lied.

"But we barely even talked!" As he turned to leave, she grabbed his sleeve, splashing champagne all over the front of his suit. Her horrified expression gave way to nervous laughter as a throng of guests and staff, mostly female, rushed over to him with napkins in hand. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry. So, so, so—"

"It's all right. I'm leaving soon anyway." And he hurried away as quickly as he could, before she managed to do anything else to him.

He just wanted to be left alone. Was that really so much to ask for?

Fortunately, it looked as though he might get his wish, as six uniformed waiters began to wheel out an astonishingly large cake in the shape of a Master Ball, diverting all attention from Steven and his champagne-drenched suit.

That cake would keep everyone occupied, or so he hoped. No one was likely to notice if he stepped out for a short while. Smiling to himself, he started in the direction of the door. He was beginning to feel more relaxed already.

* * *

><p>Outside, the loud chatter of the party had faded to a mere hum, and Steven could hear little else but the distant sounds of the city and the faint trickle of a nearby fountain. He sighed contentedly, a feeling of profound calmness flooding through him as he moved to sit atop the fountain's edge.<p>

It took only seconds before he realized he wasn't alone. A girl whirled around to face him, her anxious eyes meeting his through the intricate pattern of water between them.

He was the first to speak. "My apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Um, that's okay." She looked as though she wanted to say more, but shyly turned away without another word.

Her attire suggested that she was also a guest of the party, and he had to wonder what had compelled her to seek out solitude on a night like this, forgoing the glitz and glamour of the celebration for the quiet outdoors. Deciding to entertain his curiosity, he walked around the fountain to meet her. "What are you doing outside?"

"It's a bit… overwhelming, in there. I guess I'm not really one for parties."

"I don't often say this, but neither am I." And with the veil of water no longer obscuring her face, he remembered. It was the girl from the interview. She'd looked so desperately uncomfortable that he'd stepped in to take her place, in spite of the fact that he didn't much like interviews himself. "It's Jasmine, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"I take it you're not one for interviews, either."

"No." Jasmine glanced up at him with a timid smile.

"Well, we have that much in common, then," he said, fully aware that he was being far more candid than he usually dared to, but not quite sure why. It could have been the way she looked so nervous. He didn't want to be the sort of person who made people nervous. So if this was what it took to put her at ease, then so be it.

"Then I should thank you. For… for what you did earlier."

"It was no trouble. I would have had to do that interview sooner or later." Taking a seat beside her, he offered her his hand. "I'm Steven, by the way."

For such a soft-spoken girl, she had a deceptively strong handshake. "The Lance of Hoenn, I'm told."

He tore his hand from hers. "I'm not like that."

He was nothing like Lance. Lance was a dedicated leader, the very image of what a Champion was supposed to be. He accepted the constant media attention, the fame, and everything that came with it. Steven hadn't wanted any of that, and he'd left the position with little regret to pursue his other interests.

"I-I'm sorry. We all look up to Lance, and I heard… I didn't mean to…"

As she struggled for words, a wave of guilt washed over him, and he silently berated himself for reacting so sharply. "No, _I'm_ sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." Perhaps he was just tired of having to act like a Champion tonight. He'd given up the title years ago, and yet, he still hadn't managed to shake all of its accompanying expectations.

"I didn't mean anything by it. It was just something one of the other Gym Leaders said to me."

"Was it the loud girl in the pink dress, by any chance?"

"How did you know?"

Steven chuckled, his suspicions confirmed. "Just a guess. I had a rather eventful run-in with her earlier tonight. Luckily, I escaped unharmed. My clothes, on the other hand…" He gestured down at his suit, still noticeably wet and somewhat uncomfortable.

"Oh, no." A gentle laugh escaped her lips, and his eyes were drawn to her.

She really didn't belong at a party like this. She seemed poorly versed in the art of shallow conversations and feigned smiles, and in stark contrast to the extravagantly clothed women inside, she wore only a simple white dress.

He thought she was beautiful.

"So you're a Gym Leader," he inquired, his wish for a moment alone now all but forgotten.

"Yes, from Olivine City."

"A lovely city."

"You've been?" She regarded him with mild surprise.

"Not for long, but my travels have taken me there from time to time."

"Do you travel a lot, then?"

"Lately, I find I'm travelling more often than not. I spent the better part of this past year in Sinnoh."

"Sinnoh," she mused, her face clouded by thoughts. "What was it like? Were the people nice?"

"As nice as the people anywhere else," he replied, wondering why she took such an interest in the region. "Are you planning to go there?"

"I… I don't know. I was thinking about it. But… you probably don't want to hear all of this."

"I do. Really."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't be." Having spent several hours dealing with all manner of bothersome people, Steven could say with the utmost truthfulness that Jasmine was anything but.

"Well, if you're sure. Do you know about contests?"

"I'm no expert, but I've seen a few."

"I've only seen them on TV. We don't have them here. But the Super Contests in Sinnoh sound wonderful. I don't know if I'd be any good as a coordinator, but I've always wanted to try."

"So why don't you?"

"I don't travel. Not like you. Kanto's the farthest I've ever gone. The thought of being alone, and so far from home…" Jasmine's voice trailed off to a whisper as she cast a contemplative gaze up at the sky. "Never mind. This is stupid. I have a gym to manage. What would people think if I just left?"

"It's not stupid."

"But—"

He spoke before he thought better of it. "I left my position. Did you know that?"

"As Champion?"

"Yes. It was an incredible journey, becoming Champion. But being the face of the Hoenn Pokémon League was something I never wanted. I wanted to roam the world with my Pokémon, to search for rare stones. People thought I'd lost it. The Champion, the second-in-line at Devon, digging around in caves. But that's what I love."

He could hardly believe he'd revealed so much to someone he'd met only minutes ago. But with Jasmine, he felt different. Like he didn't have to be Steven, the Champion, or even Steven, the businessman. For the first time since he'd arrived that night, he didn't feel he had to be anyone but himself.

"If that's what you want to do, then you should do it," he said firmly. "You can always continue as a Gym Leader if the contests don't work out."

"What do you think of Hearthome?"

It was the home of Sinnoh's Contest Hall. She seemed to be taking his advice to heart. "It's nice, as far as big cities go." But as he looked at Jasmine, resplendent against the garish city lights and starless night sky, he couldn't help but think that the city didn't suit her one bit. "If I were you, though, I'd want to stay in Sunyshore."

"Why's that?"

"It's smaller, by the sea… it reminds me of Olivine, sometimes. You'd have to fly to Hearthome for contests, of course, but you might feel more at home there."

"I think I'd like that."

"And if you don't," he promised with a grin, "you can hold me personally responsible for the poor travel advice."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jasmine laughed softly, before speaking with more conviction than he'd ever heard from her. "Maybe I'll go. I owe it to myself to at least try."

As the wind began to pick up, he noticed a slight shiver. "Are you cold?"

"A little."

He'd already instinctively removed his jacket when he felt the cool dampness of spilt champagne against his fingers and remembered the sorry state it was in. "I'd offer you this, but I think you're better off without it."

"I should probably just go back inside. I've been out here for hours. It's embarrassing, really."

"You didn't miss a thing," he assured her. "Just a few speeches and an unnecessarily large cake."

It suddenly occurred to Steven that he, too, ought to return to the party. It was now rather late—almost too late, it looked like. Quite a few departing guests were passing by, and it would be rude if he wasn't around to exchange proper goodbyes with the people he'd met.

How had the night come to an end so quickly? And had he really been so captivated by Jasmine that he hadn't even noticed?

"Take my number." He handed her one of the pretentious business cards that his father insisted he carry at all times. He had to admit that every so often they were good for something. "I'd like to see you again, if that's all right with you."

She took the card with a smile. "Of course it's all right."

"Good night, Jasmine. It's been a pleasure." He repeated the familiar phrase for the umpteenth time that night. And for the very first time, he'd sincerely meant it.

It didn't happen often, but sometimes these parties could be worth attending after all.

* * *

><p><em>Up next: Whitney's had a little too much champagne. Did anyone not see this coming?<em>


	6. Whitney

****- 6 -********  
><strong>**********

**Whitney**

* * *

><p>It was the greatest night ever. She was the prettiest girl in the room, the center of everyone's attention. And they all loved her. Of course they did. She was the life of the party, after all.<p>

At least, that was how it had felt at first. Then things had started to get blurry and she'd started to get dizzy and all of a sudden she was finding it hard to think straight. So this was what Lorelei had been talking about when she'd told her to slow down with the champagne a little.

She didn't know much about champagne, like how much was too much or what too much of it did to you. All she knew was that it was fun. Free champagne was even more fun. Until you had just a little too much fun and wound up spilling it all over some ex-Champion's suit. Then somehow it wasn't so much fun anymore.

Not that the guy hadn't deserved it. Steven Stone was a jerk. But it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. And he could always just go buy a hundred new suits if he felt like it. She'd forgotten all about that whole mess already. Even if she _was_ watching him walk in the room with a huge frown on her face.

She didn't get it. She was pretty and fun to be around… wasn't she? So why didn't these people want to talk to her?

Like a certain Gym Leader she wasn't going to think about who'd ditched her because of some stupid speech. He obviously had issues.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jasmine came in the door. Hadn't Jasmine left hours ago? She'd sure been gone long enough. And what was she so _happy _about, anyway?

"Where'd you go off to?" she asked.

Jasmine was smiling like she'd just been given a gazillion free Master Balls. "Oh, nowhere, really. I just needed some air. All those photographers and reporters… I don't know if I'll ever get used to them."

"So you hung around outside by yourself all night?" Whitney didn't get Jasmine sometimes. What was the point of going to parties if you were just going to miss out on all the fun parts?

"Well… no. I met someone."

"Really? Who?"

"N-never mind. It doesn't matter."

"It does so matter! Tell me!" If Jasmine didn't want to say, then it had to be good.

"Steven."

"Steven _Stone_?"

Jasmine let out a girlish giggle. "He's wonderful, isn't he?"

_No_, she thought bitterly. He hadn't been wonderful to _her_. "Are you sure it was the same guy?"

"Of course. He gave me this."

His business card. With his phone number on it. It was enough to make Whitney want to be sick. Or maybe that was just the champagne. Either way, she wasn't going to stick around and fangirl over Steven Stone much longer.

"Big deal." She rolled her eyes as she walked off, and right away she felt bad about it. What had Jasmine ever done to her? It wasn't Jasmine's fault that Hoenn's number one heartthrob happened to have really boring taste in girls. But Jasmine hadn't even noticed. She was pretty sure Jasmine was too busy falling head over heels for Steven Stone to notice much of anything.

"Uh, Whitney? You might want to watch where you're going."

She hadn't seen Falkner and Janine coming. Not until she'd almost bumped into them. But it wasn't her fault. They'd come out of nowhere. And the way they were holding hands made them kind of hard to get around.

Those two were such a couple. And they were so cute when you teased them about it. Whitney couldn't resist. "Hey, you guys, why don't you just make out already and get it over with?"

But they didn't pull their hands apart. They didn't even blush. Not even Falkner, who got embarrassed by _everything_.

"That's why." Falkner motioned toward Koga, seeming much more confident than usual. "I don't think I'd do so well at dodging shurikens."

Okay, this was getting weird. Wasn't this the part where they were supposed to freak out and insist they were just good friends? Unless…

"Something happened." She glanced at Janine, whose face confirmed exactly what she'd thought. "You asked him out, didn't you? I _so_ called it."

"Well, actually—"

"I asked her out."

"No way." She shook her head at Falkner, giggling. "I know you. You don't have the guts."

"What do you mean, I don't have the guts? I did it, didn't I?"

Janine nodded. "He did."

Whitney had an idea, and she had a feeling Falkner wasn't going to like it. "Okay, Falkner," she challenged him. "If you're so brave, prove it. Go ahead and kiss her."

He didn't look so confident _now_. "B-but… but Koga said…"

"Who cares what Koga says? I'll tell you what—I'll distract him for you. Now what's your excuse?"

But as she took off toward Koga, Janine followed her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

"Get back there!" Whitney called over her shoulder. "Falkner's about to kiss you!"

It didn't occur to her that maybe Janine was right until it was already too late. Koga could get pretty scary sometimes. She'd forgotten exactly _how_ scary. But now that she was standing in front of him, what could she do?

She could only think of one thing. "Look over there!" she shouted, randomly pointing a finger at she-didn't-even-know-what. But Koga didn't move a muscle. He just stood there, staring at her like she was insane.

"Sorry, Dad. I think Whitney's a little—"

"What are you doing?" she whispered to Janine. "You're supposed to be making out with Falkner, remember?"

"What was that, young lady?"

Whitney jumped. Literally. Koga did _not_ sound happy. "Um, you weren't supposed to hear that." She turned quickly, away from his evil ninja glare of death. "See, Janine, this is why you don't bring your parents to parties. Talk about awkward…"

And before she could say any more, a hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"That's enough, Whitney."

She didn't expect it to be _him_. Not with the way he'd acted when she'd tried to talk to him earlier that night. Like he didn't want to talk to her at all. Like he just wanted her to go away. Which was _fine_, because she knew lots of other people at the party, and she didn't need Morty, anyway. But she hadn't thought it would hurt so much.

"Sorry about that," he was saying. "I'll make sure she gets home."

As if she was going to let Morty tell her what to do. "You're not the boss of me," she said defiantly, pushing his hand away. That'd show him.

She hadn't meant to lose her balance. He almost sounded sorry for her as she grabbed his arm to steady herself. "Trust me. You don't want all these people to see you like this."

"I don't care," she insisted. But she'd seen some of the stares she was getting. And it didn't sound like he was trying to be mean. He was trying to help. She just didn't know _why_. "What's it matter to you, anyway?"

"That's not important."

But it wasn't not important. She could tell. There was something about the way he looked at her, the way he'd said her name. Like there was a very good reason why it mattered. Like he might actually…

No. There was no way, she thought, as a queasy feeling came over her. Morty didn't even _like_ her. So why was he acting like…

"I… I need to sit down."

* * *

><p>It didn't make sense. Nothing was making sense tonight, and Whitney wondered if she should just grab her free Master Ball and leave before Red and Blue became best friends forever or Surge ran off with Chuck's wife or something else ridiculous. But then she'd have to get up. And until the room stopped spinning in circles around her, that wasn't going to happen.<p>

This party was a disaster. It seemed like everyone else was falling in love, and here she was sitting all alone on a couch like some kind of loser. Even Brock looked like he was having more fun than her.

Brock had been staring at the same rock sculpture for the past half hour. She wanted to cry just thinking about it.

Then she'd _really _look like a loser. But it wasn't like that would make much of a difference at this point...

"Whitney?"

She looked up at Morty through teary eyes. "Now what?"

"I brought you some cake."

Like that was going to fix anything. He could take his stupid cake and—wait, _what_ cake? "There's cake?"

That was when she noticed the plate in his hands. It was vanilla with pink icing and it looked way too good to pass up. Even if she _was_ mad at him.

"It's been out for a while now," he said with a teasing smile. "You were more interested in the champagne, I think."

Since when did Morty smile at her like that? And how was she supposed to stay mad at him _now_?

He sat down beside her, and she decided life was way too short to worry about being mad. Besides, this was hands down the best cake she'd ever had. She flashed him a playful grin. "That reminds me. Guess what I did?"

"I don't want to know, do I?"

"Champagne," she blurted out, wondering why she was suddenly having so much trouble stringing a sentence together. "All over Steven Stone. You should've seen his face."

Morty chuckled. "That probably wasn't the best idea."

"It served him right. He wouldn't talk to me."

"So you threw your champagne at him?"

"Not on purpose!" she said through a fit of giggles. "I kind of forgot I was holding it." But her laughter quickly faded as something tugged at the back of her mind. Something that had been on her mind for much too long. "It's just… Morty, I don't get it. Why would you ignore a pretty girl like me?"

"Maybe he was just busy."

But Morty _would_ say that. The words came tumbling out before she could stop them. "You mean like too busy chasing after legendary Pokémon and training thirty-six hours a day to even care?"

His face clouded over in sudden understanding. "Somehow I don't think this is about Steven Stone anymore."

"Or maybe he decided he'd rather watch some stupid speech, right, Morty?"

There was a long pause before he spoke again, his voice heavy with something she didn't recognize. "I didn't know you cared so much."

"That was mean, you know that? Too bad they won't give me any more champagne."

"With good reason, it looks like."

"But I have cake," she remembered, holding up a forkful of it with a threatening smile.

"Don't."

"You know what this party could use? A cake fight."

Before she knew what he was doing, he took the plate of cake from her and set it down on a nearby table. "Whitney, listen to me. You are _not _going to start a cake fight."

"Not even with you?" She leaned closer to him and dangled her fork just inches from his face, sending little pink and white crumbs flying everywhere.

He closed his hand firmly over hers. "Especially not with me."

"Geez, Morty." She pouted in defeat. "Why do you always have to take all the fun out of everything? You're lucky I like you."

He let go at once, and the fork clattered loudly to the floor as she realized what she'd said.

_I like you. _

Her cheeks burned. She looked away, feeling slightly sick. Her mind was racing. Morty was way too close to her. The way she felt was probably written all over her face. And she really should've known better, because Morty only cared about training and legendary Pokémon and other things that weren't her, so of course he wasn't going to—

"I know."

For the first time that night, Whitney was speechless.

"I took it all for granted…" Morty trailed off, seeming deep in thought. "I was so sure Ho-Oh would appear before me, if only I trained hard enough. And I lost sight of everything else."

"Is _that_ why you weren't returning my calls?"

"I'm not asking you to understand. But what's done is done. Ho-Oh chose Ethan. There's nothing to do now but move on." He met her eyes with a meaningful glance. "And since I no longer have a reason to train thirty-six hours a day, I thought I might take some time off and come to Goldenrod next week… if you still want me to."

But that was practically a _date_. Hoping with all her heart that she wasn't dreaming, she reached out and touched his cheek.

"…Whitney?"

"Don't mind me. Just making sure you're real."

Morty shot her a look of concern. "How much of that champagne did you have, exactly?"

"I don't know. A lot?" She hadn't been keeping track. Maybe that was the problem.

"We'll talk later. Right now, I think it's time you went home."

The next thing she knew, Morty's arm was wrapped around her as he helped her to her feet. And as she leaned against him and forgot about everything but the way it felt to have him hold her like that, she realized that maybe this whole taking her home idea wasn't so bad after all.

This was why Whitney loved parties. No matter what happened, she always had the time of her life. Though there was still one little thing she didn't quite understand…

"Hey, Morty? Why is Will looking at us like that?"

"Because he was right," he said simply.

"About what?"

Smiling mysteriously, he pulled her just a tiny bit closer. "Everything."

* * *

><p><em>And with that, the party's officially over. So I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who reviewed or favorited or followed or even just took the time to read this—I really appreciate it, and you've made writing my first story here a total blast!<em>


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